Church Blog (Page 4)

Esther, Day 2 THERE IS A PURPOSE IN GOD’S PLAN Mordecai Foils a Plot — Chapter 2:19 – 23 Haman’s Plot — Chapter 3  Esther Chapter 2:19 – 23 The newly-crowned Queen Esther was a Hebrew. She was instructed by Mordecai to keep her background and nationality a secret because she was now the queen of Persia. Mordecai continued to hang around the king’s gate while trying to keep tabs on Esther and to advise her through the beginnings of…

Esther, Day 1 Seizing your Moment Esther 1 – 2:18 In June of 2002, the show “American Idol” took to the airwaves and grabbed the country’s attention. Aspiring artists came from all over the country to perform on the show and possibly get their big break. Lines formed outside of stadiums and other venues with people chasing their dream. The stories that emerged from each season were captivating and inspiring. Some of the participants in the show have gone on…

Nehemiah, Day 6 Nehemiah Chapters 12 – 13 Building the City Wall, and Building Godly People What a celebration! The long construction project was finished and the Jerusalem wall was completed, prompting the festival in Nehemiah chapter 12. The Levites were singing, giving thanks, and playing their musical instruments. The singers even set up villages around Jerusalem (12:29). Everyone was there. It was a joyous occasion, conducted according to the Levitical law as priests and people were purified (12:30). Though…

Nehemiah, Day 5 Nehemiah Chapter 10 – 11 COVENANT: A contract or agreement between two parties. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word berith is always thus translated. In Greek, it’s defined as diatheke, which is, however, rendered “testament.”(Easton’s Bible Dictionary). In the back of the old Southern Baptist Hymnals, you could find many things, including, “the Church Covenant.” At Sunday evening services, on occasion, we would read that covenant. It was an “agreement” to abide by certain statutes of…

Nehemiah, Day 4 Nehemiah 8 – 9 I am a terrible reader — I struggle mightily to tune things out and focus on what I’m reading. Almost every time I read there is at least one section of the text where I zone out, my eyes move through the words, I may even mouth them out loud, but when I arrive at the end of the page, I haven’t any idea what I just read. Technically I was reading, but…

Nehemiah, Day 3 Nehemiah 6 – 7 So the wall was finished . . . “So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God” (Nehemiah 6:15 – 16). In Whitehall, there is a building that is going up and…

Nehemiah, Day 2 IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER RESTORING SECULAR DEFENSES By Resourceful Entrepreneurs — Chapter 4 By Relentless Endeavors — Chapter 5  Chapter 4 As the Jews were working on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, two Arabs (Sanballat and Tobiah) decided to oppose the rebuilding effort. Nehemiah prayed and asked God to turn their insults back on their own heads. Once the walls reached half of their height, Sanballat and Tobiah, along with the Arabs and Ammonites, became very angry…

Nehemiah, Day 1 IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER RESTORING SECULAR DEFENSES By Reverent Entreaties — Chapter 1 By Rational Expeditions — Chapter 2 By Resourceful Entrepreneurs — Chapter 3  Background Nehemiah was a contemporary of Ezra. Ezra was a scribe and a priest. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes from 464 – 424 B.C. Nehemiah received a report from his brothers in Jerusalem that the city was in bad shape and the rebuilding of Jerusalem had stopped. The people were…

Ezra, Day 5 Yoked With Unbelievers? Ezra 9:1 – 4, 10:1 – 4 There are some things in life you don’t mess with. You don’t mess with a mother bear and her cubs; not a good outcome if you do. You don’t mess with ice on the road when you are driving; not a good outcome if you do. You don’t mess with gasoline around a fire; not a good outcome if you do. Could you do one of these…

Ezra, Day 4 Chapter 7 THEME: Ezra the priest comes to Jerusalem to establish the Law of Moses “Now after this” (verse 1). Go back to Chapter 6, where Darius the king issued a decree to search the archives where a declaration was stored. A scroll was found, issued by Cyrus the king, to have the house of God rebuilt. Darius decreed to have it be done with all diligence. Who was Artaxerxes? He was king of Persia from c.…